Spring loaded cue

ABSTRACT

A spring loaded pool or billard cue, or the like, is provided which includes an elongated tubular housing and rod slidably mounted in the housing, the rod being biased by a power spring within the housing to a position in which it protrudes out one end of the housing. To load the cue, the rod is pushed back into the housing against the bias of the power spring, and it is locked at any desired position with respect to the housing by one or more locking washers. These locking washers are resiliently biased to a tilted position to perform their locking function. The rod is released by a trigger mechanism which causes the washers to assume an upright position with respect to the rod.

United States Patent [191 Fox et a1.

1 1 Jan.7, 1975 1 1 SPRING LOADED CUE [21] Appl. No.: 426,130

[52] US. Cl. 273/69, 124/37 [51] Int. Cl A63d 15/08 [58] Field of Search273/69, 129, 80 D; 43/6, 43/19; 272/701; 124/15, 16, 21, 22, 26, 27, 30R, 31, 37

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 836,303 11/1906 Christensen124/37 UX 1,235,613 8/1917 Vandergrift 124/37 UX 1,447,519 3/1923 Schade273/69 UX 2,522,060 9/1950 Rid1and.... 124/37 X 2,600,883 6/1952 King124/16 X 2,791,210 5/1957 Vog et a1. 273/69 X 2,891,795 6/1959 Glintz127/37 UX 3,153,875 10/1964 Califano... 43/6 3,246,895 4/1966 Traill273/69 3,405,939 10/1968 Iannoneet a1. 272/701 3,447,805 6/1969 Baley cta1. 273/69 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 137,075 5/1950 Australia273/69 1,410,146 7/1965 France 124/37 Primary Examiner-Richard .1. ApleyAttorney, Agent, or Firm-Jessup & Beecher [57] ABSTRACT A spring loadedpool or billard cue, or the like, is provided which includes anelongated tubular housing and rod slidably mounted in the housing, therod being biased by a power spring within the housing to a position inwhich it protrudes out one end of the housing. To load the cue, the rodis pushed back into the housing against the bias of the power spring,and it is locked at any desired position with respect to the housing byone or more locking washers. These locking washers are resilientlybiased to a tilted position to perform their locking function. The rodis released by a trigger mechanism which causes the washers to assume anupright position with respect to the rod.

4 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures SPRING LOADED CUE RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONApplication Ser. No. 143,855, filed May 17, I971, for Clyde E. Fox, etal., now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention is concerned with themechanical type of pool or billiard cue, in which a spring loaded rod isreleased from a tubular housing and caused to strike against the ball asthe game is played. The cue, in one of its embodiments, is fabricated tosimulate a usual pool or billiard cue, with a trigger handle extendingfrom one side of the cue so as to release the internal rod when a shotis to be made. In a second embodiment, the pool cue is shaped to have apistollike configuration, so that shots are made by the player actuallyshooting the pistol.

In both embodiments of the invention, and as will be described, the cuehas the feature in that it is inherently simple in its concept, so thatit may be made inexpensively, and yet be rugged and capable oftrouble-free operation over a long period of time. In addition, the cueconstructed in accordance with the concepts of the invention has afeature of an inherently simple trigger mechanism, the trigger mechanismbeing constructed to permit the actuating rod to be moved back into thesupporting housing to any desired position and to achieve any desiredcompressional force on the power spring. This permits each player togage the force at which the individual shots are to be made, andconstitutes an improvement over the usual prior art construction whichdepend on a ratchet arrangement with a small number of definite lockingpositions, as compared with the infinite number of locking positions ofthe mechanism of the invention, so as to result in less accurate controlof the desired force in the prior art arrangements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a side section of a billiardor pool cue constructed in accordance with one embodiment of theinvention; and

FIG. 2 is a side section of a billiard or pool cue constructed inaccordance with the concepts of the invention, and representative of asecond embodiment whereby the cue itself simulates a pistol.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT At the outset, itshould be pointed out that although the structure of the presentinvention is described as a billiard or pool cue, it will be apparent asthe description proceeds that the cue of the invention may be used in avariety of games in which it is desired not only to propel billiardballs as in a game of pool or billiards, but in which any other objectis to be propelled.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the cue mechanism includes a tubularhousing having an elongated configuration and simulating, for example, ausual billiard cue, insofar as its outward appearance is concerned. Thehousing 10 may be formed of metal, plastic, wood or any other desiredmaterial.

A rod or shaft 12 is slidable within the tubular housing 10. The shaft12 is held in coaxial relationship within the housing by means, forexample, of a block 14. The rod 12, likewise, may be composed of metal,

plastic, wood or any other suitable material. A power spring 16 ismounted on the rod 12. One end of the spring 16 bears against theforward end ofthe block I4, and the other end bears against a retainermember 18 mounted on the rod or shaft 12. The power spring 16 serves tobias the rod 12 towards the left in FIG. I, and to a fired position inwhich the end of the rod 12 protrudes out from the end of the housing10. A tip assembly 20 is mounted on the extremity of the rod 12, asshown.

In the assembly of FIG. 1, the rod 12 is shown in its loaded position,in which it is retracted fully into the housing 10. It is held in thatposition by means of a series of washers including a first actuatorwasher 22 which is mounted in the housing 1.0 coaxially with the rod 12.The washer 22 extends into a slot in the block 14, and its diametricallyopposite side supports a trigger handle 24 which extends externally ofthe housing 10.

A plurality of additional washers 26 are mounted in the housingcoaxially with the rod 12, and the latter washers being adjacent theface of the actuator washer 22. The washers 26 are spring biased by atrigger spring 28 which bears against the block 14. The trigger spring28 resiliently urges the washers 26 against the actuator washer 22, andalso biases the washers to the illustrated inclined position in whichthey lock the rod 12 in its illustrated *loaded" condition within thehousing 10.

To actuate the assembly of FIG. 1, the trigger member 24 is pressed downtowards the housing 10, and this causes all the washers 22 and 26 to beturned against the pressure of the spring 28 to an upright position withrespect to the shaft 12. This permits the shaft 12 to slide freely underthe action of the power spring 16 to the left of FIG. I, and causes thetip assembly 20 to be driven against the object to be propelled by themechanism.

A buffer spring 30 is mounted on the right-hand end of the rod 12 bymeans, for example, of a retainer 32. The shock of the rod assembly 12as it reaches the end of its travel is minimized by the buffer spring.

To reload the mechanism of FIG. 1, it is merely nec' essary to push thetip 20 towards the end of the housing 10, so that the rod 12 will moveback against the pres sure of the power spring 16, causing the washers22 and 26 to assume an upright position as the rod is so pushed. It isclear that the rod may be pushed back into the housing to any desiredposition, and that upon release, the washers 22 and 26 will immediatelylock the rod in that position. This means that the player can set hiscue to any desired tension, merely by pushing the rod 12 back into thehousing until the desired tension has been attained, and then byreleasing the pressure on the tip. Any further movement of the rod 12 isthen prevented by the washers 22 and 26, until the trigger mechanism hasbeen actuated by actuation of the trigger member 24.

The embodiment of FIG. 2 is generally similar to the embodiment of FIG.I, and similar elements have been designated by the same numbers.

In the latter embodiment, a pistol grip 10a is formed on the housing 10,and the trigger member, designated 24a extends from a slot in thehousing 10 as an extension of the actuator washer 22a. In the latterembodiment, the block 14 is made integral with the housing 10. Thetrigger washers 26, as before, bear against the face of the actuatorwasher 22a, and all the washers are biased to their inclined position bya spring 28a which, in the embodiment of FIG. 2, is a leaf spring, asshown.

The invention provides, therefore, an improved spring loaded cue, whichis simple and economical in its construction, and yet which is superiorin its operation to the usual prior art device of the same general type.

It should be understood, of course, that although particular embodimentsof the invention have been shown and described, modifications may bemade. It is intended in the following claims to cover all modificationswhich come within the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A spring-loaded pool or billard cue, or the like, comprising: anelongated tubular housing; a rod having substantially the same length assaid housing coaxially mounted in said housing for longitudinal movementwith respect thereto between a loaded position in which the rod isretracted into the housing and a released position in which a first endof the rod protrudes from one end of the housing; an apertured blockmounted at an intermediate position within said tubular housing andhaving a central aperture therein through which said rod extends, saidblock having a length short as compared with the length of the housingand serving to maintain said rod in coaxial relationship with saidhousing; a first retainer mounted on said rod at an intermediateposition thereon; a power spring mounted in said housing coaxiallyencompassing said rod and having one end engaging said retainer and theother end engaging said block for resiliently biasing said rod towardssaid released position in which the first end of said rod protrudes fromthe end of said tubular housing; a trigger mechanism mounted in saidhousing including an actuator washer supported in a slot in said blockcoaxial with said rod and tiltable in said slot between an uprightrelease position and an inclined lock position with respect to said rod,at least one trigger washer freely mounted on said rod adjacent saidactuator washer and coacting with said actuator washer on the sidethereof remote from said first end of said rod; a trigger memberattached to said actuator washer at a point thereon diametricallyopposite said slot, said trigger member extending externally of saidtubular housing and actuable to tilt said actuator washer to saidrelease position; and a trigger spring mounted in said block andengaging said trigger washer on the side thereof remote from saidactuator washer and adjacent said diametrically opposite point thereonto exert a force against said trigger washer and bias said triggerwasher and said actuator washer to said inclined lock position.

2. The combination defined in claim 1, and which includes a bufferspring mounted at the end of said rod remote from said first end andcoaxially encompassing said rod, said buffer spring being spaced axiallyfrom said block when said rod is in said loaded position to bear againstthe block when the rod is released.

3. The combination defined in claim 1, and which includes a tip assemblymounted on said first end of said rod and having an outer diametergreater than the inner diameter of the housing.

4. The combination defined in claim 1, and which includes a pistol gripmounted on said housing, said pistol grip including a handle memberaffixed to the housing at an intermediate position thereon and extendingradially from the housing adjacent said trigger member.

1. A spring-loaded pool or billard cue, or the like, comprising: anelongated tubular housing; a rod having substantially the same length assaid housing coaxially mounted in said housing for longitudinal movementwith respect thereto between a loaded position in which the rod isretracted into the housing and a released position in which a first endof the rod protrudes from one end of the housing; an apertured blockmounted at an intermediate position within said tubular housing andhaving a central aperture therein through which said rod extends, saidblock having a length short as compared with the length of the housingand serving to maintain said rod in coaxial relationship with saidhousing; a first retainer mounted on said rod at an intermediateposition thereon; a power spring mounted in said housing coaxiallyencompassing said rod and having one end engaging said retainer and theother end engaging said block for resiliently biasing said rod towardssaid released position in which the first end of said rod protrudes fromthe end of said tubular housing; a trigger mechanism mounted in saidhousing including an actuator washer supported in a slot in said blockcoaxial with said rod and tiltable in said slot between an uprightrelease position and an inclined lock position with respect to said rod,at least one trigger washer freely mounted on said rod adjacent saidactuator washer and coacting with said actuator washer on the sidethereof remote from said first end of said rod; a trigger memberattached to said actuator washer at a point thereon diametricallyopposite said slot, said trigger member extending externally of saidtubular housing and actuable to tilt said actuator washer to saidrelease position; and a trigger spring mounted in said block andengaging said trigger washer on the side thereof remote from saidactuator washer and adjacent said diametrically opposite point thereonto exert a force against said trigger washer and bias said triggerwasher and said actuator washer to said inclined lock position.
 2. Thecombination defined in claim 1, and which includes a buffer springmounted at the end of said rod remote from said first end and coaxiallyencompassing said rod, said buffer spring being spaced axially from saidblock when said rod is in said loaded position to bear against the blockwhen the rod is released.
 3. The combination defined in claim 1, andwhich includes a tip assembly mounted on said first end of said rod andhaving an outer diameter greater than the inner diameter of the housing.4. The combination defined in claim 1, and which includes a pistol gripmounted on said housing, said pistol grip including a handle memberaffixed to the housing at an intermediate position thereon and extendingradially from the housing adjacent said trigger member.